


The Knight Shift

by orphan_account



Series: Festive themed fanfic [1]
Category: BBC Merlin, Merlin (TV), The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17189390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: This,,,,,this one isn't even Christmassy.TC finds an unexpected person in his ER.Day 4 : My car got stuck in snow and you saved me





	The Knight Shift

**Author's Note:**

> This one isn't even Christmassy? I sort of hate it so im posting it before i can change my mind. But I've been binge watching the night shift for Eoin Macken's gorgeous locks and I Really wanted to do a crossover of some sort but didn't have the will to make a full on fic of it. I'm posting this from the liminal space between Christmas and New year's so I think it counts as still christmas? Who knows.
> 
> There's,,,,nothing actually Christmassy about the prompt so,,,, ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Honestly? Maybe he should’ve just taken Will’s word for it when he’d said “mate if you try to drive to work in this weather you’ll be frozen solid in minutes. You’re so pale it’ll be weeks before the search parties find your sorry ass.” But it was the principle of the thing you know? He was hundreds of years old he wasn’t going to let a few Chicago snowflakes stop the greatest warlock alive. It’d be decades before the Druids would let it go and look at him normally again. (They were so wrapped up in the absurd hero worshipping that it always came as a shock to them to remember that he was not, in fact, a golden god. But an actual human being, magical immortality or no.)

What he hadn’t accounted for was the car engine being frozen solid. It had started off promisingly but then someone’s roof had decided it was open season on citroen car roofs and the seemingly endless avalanche had reversed any progress in the heating department he’d made. His magic, usually a reliable escape mechanism and answer to all ails, was still on the fritz. Last week’s moon ritual had taken a lot of energy and the little he had was too focused on preventing hypothermia to worry about shitty frozen car doors. Instead Merlin had had to make do and call up the local A&E, who assured him that one of their best men was on the way. As he began to feel stalactites make a claim to the free real estate that was the end of his nose, Merlin began to drift off, and just hoped that whoever it was would get here sooner rather than later.

He was just falling asleep when an abrupt thudding noise began, jolting him out of his memories of Camelot and into the present day. The thuds slowly got closer and closer until someone began to break away at the sheer wall of snow by his window.

“Anyone in there? This is doctor Callahan, I’m from San Antonio Memorial, we’re here to get you out.”

“Here!” he tried to yell, but yelling seemed to be taking a bit more energy than usual and the hoarse whisper that came out instead was not what he’d had in mind. Bloody moon rituals. That’s the last time he’d attempt to follow tradition, clearly being a rebellious teenager about his responsibilities worked out better in the long run. The snow began to break away and just as he could make out a dark silhouette frantically beating down the driver’s window, dark spots began pooling up in his eyes.

He managed a confused “Gwaine?” to the man holding him before he finally passed out for good.

-

It had been a frantic night, as usual, at the ER and TC was exhausted, but something about that earlier patient, the Brit snowed into his car, he couldn’t get out of his mind. The way he’d said Gwaine, how, for a moment, he’d wanted to respond as though it were his name. But why? He’d never met the man in his life, his name was Thomas Charles Callahan he’d never met a ‘Gwaine’ in his life. Paul had taken the patient from him earlier because he was needed elsewhere but it was quiet now, surely one conversation couldn't hurt.

He found him huddled up under numerous blankets in the corner of the waiting room. Clearly the poor kid had been shunted out to make space for someone more critical. “Hey kid? You doing alright there?” he said, squatting down next to him. The man looked up and despite his stature it was clear from his eyes alone that he was far too old to be considered a kid anymore. For a moment they took his breath away.

He looked up and his face lit up at the sight of TC. Where had he seen that before?

“Yeah good thanks- well not good obviously I’ve got hypothermia- but better. Doctor Cummings said it should only be a few hours or so now before I’m free to go.”

“Glad to hear it. This is going to sound ridiculous, but do I know you? Only you called me Gwaine earlier and for some reason it sounded familiar.” 

The smile fell instantly, replaced with an equally hospitable but semi impenetrable mask.  
“I called you Gwaine?” he said, biting his lip in clear distress, “I’m sorry I must have been thinking about someone else. I’ve got one of those faces you know people think they know me all of the time it’s probably nothing.”

TC was tempted to give in right there but something told him to keep pushing.

“Are you sure? You weren’t in the army or anything were you? Afghanistan? I could’ve sworn I’ve seen that face before”

“No, no!” he got up abruptly, and began backing away down the hall, “thank you so much for helping me get out of the ca but I really should be getting back soon. My friend Will is a right worrier he’ll be waiting for me.”

He began to run down the hall, something even more familiar to Gw-TC than the smiliing.

“Wait no! Merlin please!”

He stopped in his tracks  
“You said my name.”

“Yes? That is your name right?”

“I never told you my name.”

He stopped, frozen. “You’re right. I shouldn’t know that. Why did I know that?”

Merlin began walking back to him slowly, “I don’t……..know…….Will remembered everything at once and I haven’t found anyone else yet-”

“Anyone else? What do you mean there’s more like me?”

“Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, Elyan, Lancelot, Leon and Percival.”

A searing pain began to spread through Gwaine’s head. A thousand images falling into stark focus at once. Memories of a lifetime ago. Of being a knight of Camelot, of following his king out of respect for the servant boy who chose to stay by his side. 

“Merlin!” he exclaimed, a smile stretching across his face. He ran towards the other man and tackled him in a hug, “but I died!”, he frowned, “wait how are you still even alive?”

“Long story short, I’m sort of immortal now. I- I have magic. I’ve always had magic. I was born with it.”

“I know. I’ve always known. God that feels good to say after centuries. But immortality? Seriously?”

“Yeah. It’s, not as fun as you’d think.”

“God Merlin I’m so sorry. Molly? Could you tell Topher and Jordan that I’m clocking out early for the night? My friend and I here have a lot of catching up to do.” he slung his arm around Merlin’s shoulders in a gesture that felt like coming home.

“Let’s go grab a drink buddy, and we’ll see what we can do about finding the rest of our friends. Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a writing blog here: https://dearqueenmelpomene.tumblr.com/  
> 


End file.
